Welcome to the twenty fourth article in our Pride series for the month of June! Each day we will be highlighting a different LGBTQ+ character who we think is a great example of representation, dynamic characterization, and overall badassery. Check out the rest of the series here.
There was never any question about who Officer Nicole Haught (Katherine Barrell) was or who she wanted.
From the moment she walked into Shorty’s Bar in the second episode of season one of Wynonna Earp, it was clear that what Nicole wanted was Waverly Earp. As for who she was- we soon learned from just a brief (yet steamy) interaction between the two characters, that Wynonna Earp had introduced its first LGBTQ character into the series.
Nicole Haught made it obvious from the beginning that she was interested in Waverly, and she gave Waverly time and space to work through her feelings and the relationship she was currently in. And in the end, the show delivered not one, but now two, fully aware LGBTQ characters. While we saw Waverly’s journey with discovering her own sexuality and the two slowly falling for one another, their storyline wasn’t angsty, or filled with any of the tired tropes we see. We just saw two characters, naturally falling in love with one another despite demons and curses.
Wynonna Earp provided representation early on with Nicole, an important character and part of the team. She has always been able to hold her own and be central to the story without being solely defined by her sexuality. While Nicole may be a lesbian (not in fact a unicorn), she is so, so much more than that, and she was never defined by being Waverly’s love interest. Nicole has gone through much growth, and had many developing relationships with other characters other than the younger Earp sister.
Nicole is the kind of representation that is needed and her character is another testament to the creators, show runners and writers of this show.